Each week I am covering the different homeschool styles and approaches.  My first post on this subject was posted last Tuesday,  I covered the unschooling approach. This week I am covering the  Charlotte Mason approach. This type of  approach seems to be the most popular among homeschooling families.

Charlotte Mason Approach

Charlotte Mason believed children learn from real life situations. She believed in a “living” education.  Charlotte  used pictures and music study as part of  her curriculum,  she used books that make events come alive.  Here are just a few recommended resources for living books Greenleaf Press, Penny Gardner, and  Charlotte Mason Education.  I ran across a website that offers free homeschool curriculum that is designed to be as close as possible to the curriculum that Charlotte Mason used in her correspondent schools, to learn more about this  curriculum that is available visit  Ambleside Online.  They use as many free online books as possible.  Take some time to read through the websites and do your own research. It’s important to choose the methodology that works best for you, your family and your child.

Ebook: Education is a Atmoshere, a Discipline, a Life

Here is a free ebook for you to download Education is a Atmoshere, a Discipline, a Life. This ebook is a 45 page read.  It is written by a homeschooling mom by the name of  Sonya Shafer. Sonya has used the Charlotte Mason method for more than fifteen years, she launched intentional parents and authored the book  The Anguishing Blessed Journey, A Mothers Faith Journal Through Autism. She is a frequent speaker at homeschool groups.  Her goal is to communicate the Charlotte Mason principles to parents and to show them how practical they are. In her ebook she covers a variety of topics such as:

• What you need to know about curriculum and schedules
• Five ways to cultivate good habits
• Charlotte Mason methods
• Discipline brings freedom and much more

There are many families using the Charlotte Mason approach and incorporating living education. I ran across this great blog written by a mom who uses  living literature in her homeschool curriculum. Her name is Cindy West, she homeschools her three children. She can be found at Our Journey Westward.

If you missed last weeks post on unschooling your child make sure to stop by and share your thoughts.

Next Tuesday I will be covering the Traditional Textbook approach.

Are you currently using the Charlotte Mason approach? Share with us what you most enjoy about it.

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photo credit: roy costello

There are many reasons why a family chooses to homeschool. Families make this choice for different reasons. Either they make this decision early on before their child starts school or they make the decision after experiencing the public school system. For me it was after experiencing the public school system.

Here are my top three reasons:

Flexible Schedule

Families come in all shapes and sizes and of course have their own unique schedules.  Depending on the level of involvement, you the parent are able to customize their school year to the schedule that works best for them and you.  Parent and child are able to set their own goals and work at their own pace.

Better Social Environment

Homeschool children are spared harassment from bullies. Such harassment can change a child’s life. Being homeschooled ensures your child is not around unnecessary peer pressure. Pressure to dress a certain way,  pressure of fitting in, all this is an unhealthy socialization environment. Being homeschooled allows the child to be themselves and be more confident in who they are. A great book on  this topic is The Hurried Child by Dr. Raymond Moore.

Bible Study

Most public school do not offer bible study curriculum, it is a growing controversial issue.  Families have the freedom to be able add bible studies to their childs curriculum. The bible can be incorporated into other learning subjects such as History or it can be taught as a seperate topic on its own.

I ran across this funny video by Kevin Swanson “10 Reasons We Like To Homeschool”. Visit his website Generations With A Vision.

I would like to hear your reasons for homeschooling. Why do you homeschool your child or children?

It’s the end of July, are you ready for school to start?

Are you overwhelmed with planning out your schedule?

If your answer is yes, your not alone. I feel that way right now. For me I get overwhelmed when I’m trying to tackle too many projects at once. So what am I doing about  my situation? After much thought I think the secret is to find out what other  moms are doing to organize their hectic schedules.

Here is what I found:

The Daily Home Planner

Check out this cool software program I stumbled on called The Daily Home Planner. This will organize your goals, family finances, plan meals, and much more!  What grabbed my attention is the Daily Home Planner for Homeschooling Families. Take some time and watch the demo. It’s pretty cool. I’m looking into this option.

I enjoy reading other mom blogs not because I’m nosey but because I believe every mom has something of value to offer other moms. This mom did just that:

A Homeschool Mom Created This:

This mom blogger is amazing!  She created a Independent Notebook to kick off the new school year for her little ones. The  notebook will cover each quarter with all  the work and checklists already assembled.  Swing by her blog and read  her independent notebook post. I’m sure you will be impressed and maybe a little envious.

I would love to hear your experience with getting your schedule organized for the upcoming school year. What system are you putting together?

photo credit: Ivan Walsh

Today is groovy green Friday! Join me as I search websites that offer environmental education lessons. I am on the hunt for some good lesson plans.

ABC Teach Is This Weeks Highlighted Website

Abcteach is a online resource for children’s education. They offer a ton of  free  worksheets and activities that even homeschoolers can use.

They have a Think Green, Teach Green page with all kinds of categories. There are so many sub-directories to look through. I will share the one that I spent the most time on.

Think Green: Earth Day

Most of the learning materials available on this page is for the younger age groups.

• Earth Day, Everyday Award printable
• Children’s list of book titles about the environment
• Coloring page printables of the earth, recycle, tree, and more
• Wordsearch games

Make sure to check out the  Biofuel reading material. This material is for elementary/middle school age children.  It is an  informative two page read in pdf.

If you want to use the site for more learning options there is a membership site available to join. Members will have  access to more of a variety of worksheets and activities. The price is $40 for one year.

Special tool section that helps teachers create the documents and forms they need

You can create your own handwriting worksheets, word searches, spelling worksheets and much more. This tool option has a ton of  basic features such as changing text alignment, fonts, creating documents in PDF and more. You can try the tools out for free. Go ahead, go check them out abctools. When you become a member you get access to advance features.

Do you have a website that you would like to share that has eco lesson ideas?

photo credit: .MegLynn.